76ers welcome LeBron with coronation fit for King
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- LeBron James signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on a veteran's minimum for $8 million total, officially announced Monday after revealing his choice on social media Friday.
- James said the move is his "last decision" after strongly considering retirement following his 23rd NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers, writing he was "done" before reversing course.
- The 76ers welcome James to a roster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and rookie VJ Edgecombe — a team that went 45-37 last season and was swept in the second round by the eventual champion New York Knicks.
- James is set to reunite with team president Mike Gansey, whose ties with LeBron date back to Ohio high school basketball — Gansey was the 2001 runner-up for Ohio's Mr. Basketball to James, who won the award three times.
- LeBron James, who turns 42 in December, averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists last season and enters his 23rd NBA season as the league's all-time career scoring leader.
- The 76ers have not won an NBA championship since 1983 and have not advanced past the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.
- James is the first player in NBA history to be named NBA Finals MVP with three different franchises (Miami, Cleveland, and the Lakers), having won four championships total.
Why it matters: At $8 million over two years on the veteran's minimum — a steep discount for a four-time MVP — James prioritizes a title chase over money in what he calls his final act, joining a Sixers core that has not escaped the second round since 2001. The 42-year-old also lands alongside a team president, Mike Gansey, who has known him since Ohio high school basketball, giving Philadelphia a built-in personal connection that no other contender could match.
